Real Questions

Real Questions with... Disclosure

Over the past year, brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence - best known as electronic music duo Disclosure - have exploded beyond the world of dance music. Their album Settle was nominated for a Grammy, they performed on national late night TV on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," and they have some impressive festivals lined up this year.

The guys tell iHeartRadio about all the exciting things they have planned for 2014. "We’re doing half the amount we did last year which means that we’ve kind of been able to hand pick the ones that we wanna play. And also we’re much higher on the bills, so the show’s generally are gonna be so fun."

On their Grammy-nominated album Settle, the guys say, "It went to number one in the U.K. mainly because it was so unexpected. Like we didn’t think the album was going to have any kind of commercial success, and it just got like the most commercial success you can have in one country. So yeah it was such a great surprise. We both thought albums were just something people did when they were like 30 or 40, and it’s just so much fun to be able to make a whole album and tour all over the world."

Disclosure stopped by iHeartRadio headquarters in NYC recently, where Guy and Howard opened up about everything from who they really think should win a Grammy to what they really think about the EDM scene in America to the weridest thing that has happened to them on tour.

Check out Real Questions with Disclosure below.

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever argued over?

Guy: Probably food (laughs).

Howard: Oh definitely food, yeah. Well this morning we had an argument.

Guy: Just cause I wanted him to try some cake and he wouldn’t try it!

What kind of cake?

Howard: Pound Cake.

Guy: It was a really nice box of lovely cake, yeah.

What’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to each other?

Well the fact that we’re in this band together shows that we kind of get along, and that’s the thing. Like we wouldn’t have formed the band if we hated each other and not have fights all the time. I don’t know. Definitely, definitely like told you to f*** off a few times.

What band would you never admit to listening to, but you do?

Actually I’ve been listening to a lot recently, it's not really a band, but “Slow” by Kylie Minogue. It’s pretty embarrassing and it’s also not embarrassing because I think that’s actually a pretty awesome tune behind the kind of pop-y Kylie singing, there’s like quite a sick beat there. And the video is awesome, she’s like sparing all of it on a towel. She’s awesome.

You were nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronica album. Who do you think really deserves to win the Grammy?

Especially in our category I think Calvin Harris deserves it just cause that album has done phenomenally well in the states. And like just him as an artist, generally I think he’s just smashed it. His first album was amazing, his second album was amazing and now this third one is the hardest statistically; he’s earned – it’s produced more money than Rihanna, Jay Z and Katy Perry last year. And he’s from like a tiny town in Scotland, so it’s just like pure talent.

Who is an artist that you think is underrated or overlooked?

I can tell you a producer that we’re both really into that’s up and coming. He’s not underrated he’s just not very known yet. A guy from Montreal called Kaytranada. He’s like probably our favorite producer at the moment that’s kind of disco/hip-hop sort of stuff. He’s got a tune called “At All” and the video is like him hanging out with these three body building women, and they’re like chilling out. His music’s amazing. He’s done a load of boot legs and remixes to other people’s tunes. But yeah he’s our favorite producer right now. So check him out, Kaytranada.

What’s the most un-glamorous part of your job?

Definitely the lack of sleeping. The traveling, getting to bed at 4 a.m. after you’ve DJ'd somewhere, then getting up at 7 a.m. to go to an airport.

What’s the longest you’ve stayed awake?

Well actually last time we were in New York we had to do like a press run after having no sleep the night before, and then like do this all day and then play a show. So yeah, probably those two days. The things that we have to do in those two days are so energy-consuming that it feels like a week. And you’ve got to appear to be all happy and nice, and all you wanna be is sleep.

Well since dance music really continues to grow in America, what do you really think of the scene here?

Well I think the scene at the moment for dance music is changing quite rapidly. I mean like two years ago it was pretty much dubstep, like that was the dominating thing. Then it kind of moved from trap and now it’s in the EDM thing - I don’t know who you’d call that really. But it seems like it’s moving towards house music now. I mean with people like us and even with Calvin Harris, like some of his stuff is really proper house music. And yeah I think it’s just rapidly changing which is cool, it’s a good thing cause it gives everyone, even people who aren’t particular dance fans, it gives them like a glimpse into every part of dance music - which is such a wide title anyway.

Is there anything you don’t like about the scene?

The music that is bracketed under EDM, cause we get bracketed under EDM as well cause it is electronic dance music. So that’s fair enough, but the sound that we’re associated with is not like us. It’s like that kind of huge massive loud synth sound, where it’s all about the drop - and it’s like music doesn’t have to have a drop.

There’s been a lot of speculation that a lot of the music now has that big main stage sound that’s all blending together, it’s all sounding the same. So you agree?

Yeah, absolutely.

What do you think is missing from the music these days?

Soul. Like musicality. I think that it’s so easy now - like well not easy, but if you’ve got a bit of luck on your side and money as well you can just like go make one of those songs. And think you just got dollar signs in your eyes, and you just think, "oh that’s what works I’m gonna make that cause it worked before." There’s no thought put into it, there’s no love in it, it’s a bit painful which is like something we really care about. So we spend a lot of time on our album and we put a lot of soul into it, so hopefully that’s why it’s gonna work.

If you could pick any artist dead or alive to go on tour with who would it be?

Michael Jackson.

Who tattled on each other more as kids? Or did you guys not do that?

Howard: I don’t remember you’d have to ask our mom.

Guy: Probably me cause I’m the younger one.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you on tour?

Guy: The weirdest thing. The weirdest thing was we were in the dressing room at our show in Reno was it? I think it was Reno. Somewhere West coast-ish, and we were just chilling in the dressing room and this girl like runs in full speed screaming like "Disclosure!!" And she’s got a massive cutout of Howard’s face, dressed as Howard’s face, and Howard’s like "woah now that is crazy."

Howard: Yeah I kind of saw her and she was still looking around like she wanted to find me, and then she finally saw me and her whole – it all went like slow motion she was like “ahhhhh.” And I saw her like run over and some people they took her out before she got to me. I got a photo with her, and we saw the photo on Twitter and I look like terrified in the photo. She’s like smiling thumbs up and I’m like uhhhhh!

Guy: I was looking at some tweets from some girls it was said “being a fan girl in Disclosure’s bed” and it was a photo of them in a bed - it was actually my friend’s bed. Not even in my house! So I was like that’s weird. My friend was like not even home, so he was like "why is this girl in my bed?"

Did you have any jobs before your music career took off?

Guy: Yes. I did. I worked in a pub as a bar man, and I worked in retail for a bit selling clothes.

Did you ever get fired?

Guy: Um no I left the clothes shop myself ,but I kind of got secretly fired from the bar cause they like, they didn’t fire me but they just stopped giving me shifts. It was like two weeks without getting asked into work, and I was like "guys have you sacked me?" And they were like "no." And I was like "are you gonna give me anymore shifts?" And they were like "no."

Howard: A nice way of getting sacked

Guy: Maybe, yeah. Howard got sacked from school.

Oh really?!

Howard: Yeah I got kicked out of school. I was still in school when this was going on for like two years, and it got to the point where I’d come into class after playing a show in like Spain and just be like so tired. I wouldn’t be able to talk (laughs) and they were like, "so you probably shouldn’t come in anymore…"

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Howard: I ate ostrich once that was pretty weird.

Guy: Oh yeah that’s not that weird, Ostrich burger that’s good. It’s tasty. I have it at festivals in the U.K., an Ostrich burger. I’ve eaten some sort of eye. Something’s eye, but I can’t remember what animal. Not like a fish eye, something proper.

Who’s the most famous person in your phones?

Howard: I’ve got Tiesto’s phone number.

iHeartRadio's Paul The Web Guy spent an iHeart Hot Minute with Guy and Howard. The guys talk about brotherhood, the "Disclosure face," and their single "Latch" featuring Sam Smith ... in a submarine?! Check it out below: